Reviewed from Notes. Poured Into Duvel Tulip. 09-10 version drank on 01/02/11

A: dark as night, not a huge head, but there is light layer after head recedes.

S: dark chocolate, some dark fruit notes

T: wet plums, mixture of dark and milk chocolates, no heat (huge difference from fresh BCS). Complex tastes, in addition I get plums, almost like chocolate covered cherries and lots of different chocolate flavor notes, a hint of coffee pokes through.

M: full and creamy, not quite world class for RIS, but nice

D: nice, not ridiculously drinkable (would't necessarily want it to be at 10% abv), but had not trouble finishing my 12oz

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass, part of my awesome Christmas 2010 collection.

A: Dark, rich black with a hint of brown. Slight, mocha-colored head when poured which quickly disappeared.

S: Bitter chocolate, coffee, and some sweetness.

T: Rich chocolate and espresso. Bitter up front, then sweentess, then leaves a nice, lingering coffee feel in the mouth. The malts come through towards the end, as does the alcohol, but all is trumped by the coffee/chocolate.

M: Low carbonation, long finish with the chocolate and espresso mostly masking the alcohol.

D: Very good - with the strong flavors this one goes down very nicely for 10% abv.

Taste: malty, bitter. Palate: smooth. It's all been said; except I taste roasty expresso and citrus too. You can't detect that 10% alcohol till you try to walk a straight line. Overall very satisfying. A top notch, although not world class beer like Old Growler.

What better way to warm up on a not-so-cold Winter day while watching the Steelers!

A - Pours an absolute pitch black with a huge, 3.5-fingered, frothy, rocky dark tan with excellent retention. Lacing is insane as well, as it completely coats the glass and leaves intricate webbing all throughout. A truly beautiful looking beer.

S - The smell is of strong, bittersweet chocolate and freshly roasted espresso. Sweet smelling yet easy to notice this is a strong beer. As it warms up and it is swirled and inhaled deeply, there is a surprisingly alcoholic smell to it, almost fusel in characteristic and similar to rubbing alcohol. It's faint, but certainly noticeable.

T - The taste of this beer is bold and powerful with the roasted malts leading the way. It's bitter chocolate is a motif that lasts throughout the beer, which is nice as it's a great flavor. Hints of espresso roast are more mild here than in the nose, but add an additional complex layer beneath the chocolate. Thankfully, it has a bit of a hoppy finish which helps diminish the alcohol which was so noticeable in the smell.

M - Mouthfeel is heavy with low carbonation. It's not syrupy but it does coat the mouth and impart a very long, sweet yet bitter finish. The alcohol heat is more felt than tasted in the throat long after the beer is swallowed.

D - Drinkability is moderately high. While I was a bit worried about this beer after the overly alcoholic nose, the flavors are strong, complex, and enjoyable enough to help defer the alcohol in the taste.

a - pours darkest brown into a tulip glass, with a thick head of tiny, tan bubbles that persist nicely.s - burnt and bitter chocolate notest - what a chocolate stout should be. not sweet, but the chocolate notes provide a perfect counterbalance to the roasted/burnt malt.m - surprisingly bright at the front, a comfortable mouthfeel that leaves a nice coating bitternessd - for a cold, winter night? yes please.

A- This beer is very dark. It is pitch black unless held right up against light, and even then it is only a very dark molasses color at the edges. Very small brown head comes with and aggressive pour, but it is a half inch at max, and settles quickly. All in all, this looks just like a stout should.

S- Pretty strong chocolate smells (what a shock!) Also some coffee and maybe just a little burnt caramel. Alcohol is also present.

T-Dark, dark chocolate for sure. A little smokey, with more chocolate. A solid taste of alcohol, followed by more chocolate. The aftertaste is really interesting, making me feel like I just got done eating a high quality dark chocolate bar.

M- Low carbonation, slides right over the tongue. Nice.

D- Strong and heavy, this beer is only for certain occasions. I would not have more than one at a time, although I would enjoy one once every few weeks.

I like the fact that the chocolate is really strong and present, but not quite overpowering. There are just enough other flavors to keep the chocolate in check. I also enjoy the high ABV, which is covered by the extreme flavors. The aftertaste is very pleasant, leaving you wanting another sip. Overall, this is a very solid stout, and any stout fan should enjoy it.

This beer borders on perfection in the glass. It's completely black, no hint of anything else. On a blackness scale of 1 to 100, this is about 102. On top is a finger of brown foam.

The smell is a bit subdued. It's not overwhelmingly chocolate, but that scent is obviously there...similar to hot chocolate.

Wow, the taste is more in line with what you would expect as opposed to the subdued smell. The chocolate notes are sharper, though again not overwhelming.

The alcohol in the finish cuts into the chocolate flavor and gives a complex mouthfeel. It starts off slightly sweet before giving way to some bitter from both the chocolate and the hops. In the middle, you feel a creaminess before finishing with some bite and heat from the alcohol.

This goes down pretty easy. There is both a smoothness and a bite to it, so it should appeal to several types of drinkers. It's very high in alcohol, that's the only drawback but I can't wait for another.

A: Dark brown or black. Pours about a half finger, foamy, brown-white head. Settles quickly, but leaves a little blanket of bubbly carbonation on the surface. Leaves some nice beer ring lacing behind as you drink it down. Head eventually deteriorates completely.

S: Dark roasted coffee malt, dark chocolate, with just a little peat.

T: Peaty, roasted malt. Bittersweet chocolate. Not much else.

M: Hearty, robust body. Strong alcohol palette. Peaty aftertaste lingers long and hard. Not as dry a finish as you'd expect, given the alcohol.

D: Very good slow sipping brew.

Atmosphere is very good. Deep, dark, intimidating appearance. A great nose characterizes this brew. Flavor is robust and malty with the bittersweet chocolate (as the name implies). Overall, this is a great quaff.

Pours very thick, and black. Not quite the darkest beer I have ever had, but very close. Forms a bit of a light brown head that quickly gives way to some nice lacing.

Smell is pretty much what I expected, roasted malt coffee, and chocolate.

Tastes fairly close to what I expected, with one noticeable exception. There was a sweetness there I wasn't expecting, it's almost the candy sugar flavor I expect in a Belgian dark ale. There is chocolate and coffee as well, and a little burning at the end from the alcohol.

For pouring so thickly, the feel was a bit thin. Not bad, I just anticipated a bit more.

Considering the strength of this one, was fairly drinkable. While potent and not for the weak of heart, went down easier than other strong ones I have had. This is the first beer I have had from this brewery, and this one makes me want to try more of their beers.

A: Pretty dark, but not entirely black. Dark brown around the edges. Thin head that goes away pretty quickly. Mocha in color.

S: Not much going on here until it gets almost to room temp. Once there, it starts to come alive a little. Chocolate, dark fruits. The alcohol is slightly present.

T: Same as with the nose, the taste really pops when it's been out of the bottle for about 45 minutes or so. Like the nose, chocolate, dark fruits, roasted tastes. Alcohol is there, but not in a distracting, burning way..more warming. Rich flavors. Pretty nice.

M: Smooth and a little thin, but not too bad. Dries the mouth a little more than I would expect.

D: Again, the alcohol is present, but in a good way. With that said, it still will slow you down a bit which is a good thing. You want to let this beer warm almost to room temperature to get the full benefits.

Poured into a tulip. The beer pours oily black with about a finger of dark tan head that retains nicely. The aroma is great, roasted coffee, some chocolate and dark sweet fruits to round it out. Slight traces of alcohol, but that's going to be tough to hide in a ten percent beer anyhow. Really what I would want out of this flavor-wise. It's big with sweet bitter chocolate flavor mixing well with bitter espresso finishing with a bit of heat from the high ABV. It's not the most complex thing but in this case less is certainly more. The mouthfeel is full thick and chewy, good carbonation. Solid beer but I'd be hard pressed to have more than one. The flavors are really big and it's definitely able to knock you on your ass after a couple.

Had on tap at pazzos, appearance was dark as midnight with a tight tan head that stuck around for a good amount of the beer. Smell was coffee,chocolate, roasted grain, and some toasty smells of malt. Taste was wonderful a good balance of semi bitter chocolate and espresso, warming alcohol but not too much, a nice roasted grain middle and a semi sweet chocolate coffee finish. Mouthfeel....smooth as silk, a nice balance between malt and carbonation. Drinkability is suprisingly high for such a strong stout but if u asked if I wanted another one the answer would be yes!

Pour: This beer is so black you can't even see through it. Completely opaque. One finger of brown head that dissipated somewhat quickly and left minimal lacing on the glass.

Smell: Roasted malt with hints of coffee and chocolate. Some alcohol as well.

Taste: About like drinking melted dark chocolate - lots of bitter chocolate in the back. Some hints of coffee and roasted malt as well. Finishes with a fair amount of alcohol warmth and no hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly thin (read: more of a medium body) for the ABV. Moderately carbonated, creamy, and smooth.

Drinkability: Good for the ABV. A sipper but isn't taxing on the palate or hard to swallow.

Final Notes: A very good beer, and probably has the most chocolate flavor of any chocolate beer I've had. This would make one hell of a beer to pair against vanilla ice cream (hell, might even make a good beer float). Recommended.

t-bitter dark chocolate. It's like having chocolate with super high cocoa content. Coffee notes much more prevalent in the taste then the smell. Surprisingly at 10% this beer isn't slapping you in the face with the alcohol.

m-Thick!!! Very thick. But would you expect otherwise?

d-deceptively though. Have 3 or 4 of these and you def won't be able to walk straight.

This is one of my favorite stouts which is darker than the night sky. You can't see through this brew, even while holding it right up to a light! Not a huge head, but enough at the pour to get some great aromas.

I don't have the most developed sense of smell, but I definitely pick up the high alcohol profile. A big malt essence jumps out at me along with some nutty notes. Very enticing!

The smell and the taste go hand in hand for me. I pick up the alcohol, but it's not over powering. I don't pick up a huge chocolate flavor, but I think it comes through in the mouthfeel.

Nice and thick mouthfeel. You know your drinking a big bold stout with every sip. Coats your mouth with flavor, but does not linger... which I enjoy!

Of course with a big beer like this, "session" should be avoided! But saying that, it's such a tasty brew your glass becomes half empty faster than you'd like.

Fantastic colour and full aroma pallette, followed by an incredibly silky mouthfeel (with just the right amount of carbonation not to encourage the urge of pouring it over icecream). The taste of alcohol is almost fully masked by a robust and balanced flavour profile... Although not a stout drinker by nature, I found this bottle surprisingly enjoyable!